muppetfandomcom-20200223-history
Bein' Green
"Bein' Green," originally titled "Green," is one of Kermit the Frog's best-known songs. It was written in 1970 by Joe Raposo for the first season of Sesame Street, and has since become an American standard. Background In the song, Kermit expresses his ambivalence about his color, noting that green "blends in with so many other ordinary things" and wishing that he were some other color instead. During the bridge, Kermit realizes that there are some powerful associations with the color -- "green can be big, like a mountain, or important, like a river, or tall like a tree." In the end, he decides that he's happy to be green -- "it's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be." The song was described in a Children's Television Workshop press release as "a frog's poignant realization of his own dignity and worth.""Beatles and Beethoven, Move on Over: The Seventies Sounds is Sesame Street." CTW Press Release. January 10, 1971 The song has been viewed as a powerful message about race: music journalist Danyel Smith recalls in The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z that her mother said to imagine that instead of saying "green," they said "black." Kermit would return to the song twice more on Sesame Street, including as a duet with Lena Horne, then performances on The Muppet Show in episodes 112 and 219, where the song was used to lift Kermit up from a depressed state. The song appeared on The Sesame Street Book & Record and has been recorded numerous times since, both by Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire as Kermit, as well as by musicians like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, demonstrating the song's universal themes. "Bein' Green" is not just for frogs. "It's not easy being green," a paraphrased lyric from the song, has become one of Kermit's catchphrases. In a twist on the line, when Kermit filmed a commercial for the Ford Escape Hybrid he remarked upon seeing the environmentally friendly vehicle, "I guess sometimes it is easy being green." Media outlets have also used this phrase to associate with the environmental movement.[http://www.sidneyherald.com/articles/2008/08/12/news/doc48a1f55394ebd395796276.txt Sidney Herald "Going green: Ethanol may be part of country’s path for energy independence" by Linsey Bright, 8/12/08] Street Gang gives insight into the songwriting process: File:Sesame Street Kermit Sings Being Green|Kermit's first performance of "Bein' Green" on the first season of Sesame Street. Performances Covers * Andrew Bird ― The Green Album (2011) * Mike Campbell ― Easy Chair Jazz album, spoken word (1994) * Ray Charles ― Renaissance album (1975) * Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix ― Put On A Happy Face album (2008) * Andy Hallett (as Lorne on Angel) ― Angel episode, "The House Always Wins" (2002) * Shirley Horn ― Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute To Ray Charles) album (1993) * Rick Lyon (as Nicky from Avenue Q) ― Gypsy of the Year Competition, dedicated to Idina Menzel as The Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked (2004) * Audra McDonald ― Build a Bridge (2006) * Damian McGinty (as Rory Flanagan on Glee) ― Glee episode, "Pot O' Gold" (2011) * Van Morrison ― Hard Nose the Highway album, studio version (1973) * Van Morrison ― Bootleg album with The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, live version (1973) * Thurl Ravenscroft ― Rubber Duckie and Other Songs from Sesame Street (1970) * Buddy Rich ― Stick It (1972) * Frank Sinatra ― Sinatra & Company album (1970); rereleased on Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits Volume 2 album (1972) Instrumentals *''The Frog Prince'' ― Underscores the luncheon scene, following King Rupert the Second's story of meeting Taminella Grinderfall (1971). *''Sesame Street'' ― An brief instrumental version is part of the ending music sting to an early 1970's segment. *''The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years'' ― Plays at the beginning of the special, following a commercial break (1986) *''The Muppets at Walt Disney World'' ―Underscore during a helicopter shot over the Walt Disney World parks. *''Muppet*Vision 3D'' ― Theme park ambient music around the Muppet attraction. *Boston Pops Orchestra ― Included on Wish Upon a Star: All-Time Children's Favorites *Johnny Lytle ― Included on Easy Easy album (1997) *Till Brönner ― Included on That Summer album (2005) *''Elmo's World'' ― A very brief appearance of the tune is quoted in the underscore for Kermit's appearance in Elmo's World: Frogs Publications *''The Sesame Street Song Book'' features lyrics and sheet music for this song. *''Being Green'' was an illustrated book which used the song's lyrics, but featured a lizard-like green creature instead of Kermit, *''The Muppet Show Book'' features lyrics to this song, along with illustrations based on the version from episode 219. *''The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook'' included sheet music for the song, as "It's Not Easy Being Green". *''Favorite Songs from Jim Henson's Muppets'' *''The Sesame Street Songbook'' includes lyrics and sheet music. *''Sesame Street Unpaved'' included lyrics for this song, along with pictures from the original version. *''It's Not Easy Being Green and other things to consider'' is a book of Jim Henson and Muppet quotes released in 2005. *''Street Gang'' Video releases Sesame Street *Original Version: :*''Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years'' :*''A&E Biography: Sesame Street'' (Clip of first verse only) :*''Old School: Volume 1'' :*''40 Years of Sunny Days'' *1976 version: :*''I'm Glad I'm Me'' :*''The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street'' *Oscar the Grouch version: :*''Best of Friends'' The Muppet Show *Episode 112 version: :*''It's Not Easy Being Green'' *Episode 219 version: :*''The Muppet Revue'' (1985) :*''It's The Muppets: More Muppets, Please!'' :*''The Best of the Muppet Show Volume 4'' :*''The Very Best of the Muppet Show: Volume 1'' Online releases Sesame Street *Sesamestreet.org **Original **Remake **Lena Horne's version **Oscar's version *Hulu **Original **Lena Horne's version *SesameStreet's YouTube Channel **Original **Lena Horne's version **Oscar's version Specials Sesame Street *''Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music'' (clips of Kermit's original version with performances by Ray Charles and Joe Raposo) *''Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!'' (very brief clip of original version only) *''Sesame Street Unpaved (documentary)'' (original version, first verse cut) *''The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z'' (1976 version) Muppets *''The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years'' (clips of Muppet Show version and Kermit and Ray Charles singing) *''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' (clips of the first Muppet Show version and Ray Charles' performance from 20 and Still Counting) *''The World of Jim Henson'' (Kermit and Ray Charles' version) *''I Love Muppets'' (clips) *''State of the Arts'' (clips) References " music video]] .]] The catchphrase "It's not easy being green" has been referenced many times, both by the Muppets and by others. *In episode 406 of The Muppet Show, the Swedish Chef hums the song to himself as he spray-paints his chopped-liver Kermit green. *In a 1976 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, when Mike Douglas mentions that green is a good color, Kermit comments that it's not easy being green, leading to a brief discussion of the song. *The 1977 book, Grover's Favorite Color, shows Grover near a pond, discussing the color green. He mentions something that's green is a "certain frog, who shall remain nameless." From the reeds of the pond, an unseen character remarks, "It isn't easy being green." *In the second volume of the Muppet Babies video storybook series, before reading If I Were Just Like Kermit, Kermit says that he hopes that Baby Fozzie knows what he is doing trying to be like Kermit "because it's not easy being green". *One of the Muppet Sing-Along videos was titled It's Not Easy Being Green. *In a Sesame Street segment where Kermit is auditioning wolves for the role of The Big Bad Wolf, after Kermit turns down a medium-sized wolf, that wolf thinks it is because he is green, saying that "it's not easy being green". Kermit then says that he's noticed that. *In the Sesame Street song, "I'm Between", Tony, squashed between two monsters, sings this lyric: "It's easier by far being green than being between." *A faux commercial for an album by Singing Food in episode 112 of The Jim Henson Hour features the song "It's Not Easy Being Greens." *On The Electric Company, the Short Circus perform the song, "Why", a lyrical list of questions about the world. Included is: "Why ain't it easy being green?" (The song appears on the penultimate episode of The Best of the Electric Company Vol. 1 DVD set.) *When Kermit guest starred on Deal or No Deal, he said that "it's not easy getting green". *A promo for the 2005 DVD releases of The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Muppet Treasure Island ends with Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo saying "Celebrating 50 years of being green". *On the news program Canada AM in 2009, Oscar the Grouch is interviewed for Waste Reduction Week, and says "It's easy being green. You should try it!" *In a 2006 appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, while Kermit is going over the checklists, he says "It's not that easy choosing green." *In a 2010 episode of Sesame Street, in the midst of a vegetable protest, an angry stalk of broccoli yells out "It ain't easy bein' green!" *In the extended version of "Let's Talk About Me" from The Muppets, Tex Richman raps "Ooo, it's easy havin' this much green!" *In the "Kermit's Party" short "Gonzo's Stunt Spectacular!," Kermit, covered with yellow finger paint from Gonzo's failed balancing act, remarks, "It's not that easy being clean." *In Muppets Most Wanted, the villainous Kermit doppelgänger Constantine spoofs the line saying "it's not easy being mean." *In a Crash Course video, "Intro to Economics: Crash Course Econ #1", Kermit tells the hosts that it's okay if they're not green, that it's not easy being green, and tells them that he could sing a song about it, only to be stopped because, as they say, they couldn't afford the licensing for the song. * In The Muppets episode "Because... Love", prior to picking up Jack White for a carpool, Kermit is seen singing along to a Jim Henson recording of "Bein' Green" (a 1976 performance from Sesame Street). Notes *''I Love Muppets'' lists the song as Kermit's favorite. Sources Category:Sesame Street Songs Category:Muppet Songs Category:Muppet Show Songs Category:Muppets Tonight Songs Category:Colors Category:Environmentalism